This book explores foundational theories that have been applied in open and distance education (ODE) research and refined to reflect advances in research and practice. In addition, it develops new theories emerging from recent developments in ODE. The book provides a unique and up-to-date source of information for ODE scholars and graduate…

Montessori education has a long history, but its recent growth in American public schools has led to increased interest in research efforts, particularly in exploring the potential of the Montessori experience to moderate the effects of poverty and in gathering data to evaluate public investment in Montessori schools. To assist research efforts,…

Leadership development is an outcome of colleges and universities today stressed both in and out of the classroom. Additionally, leadership is often included in institutional missions, with emphasis on students developing as responsible citizens or leaders. The use of peer educators is standard in many student leadership development programs. In…

This article summarizes current research on effective professional development and offers a checklist for school leaders to use when designing learning opportunities for teachers. Effective professional development engages teachers in learning opportunities that are supportive, job-embedded, instructionally-focused, collaborative, and ongoing.…

Various approaches to the professional development school (PDS)--each designed for its respective audience, mission, and purpose for engagement--have shaped the professional development school effort during the past 25 years. Central to these approaches is improving teacher quality in the service of student learning. This provides direction for…

This article highlights key online teacher professional development (oTPD) areas in need of research based on a review of current oTPD research conducted in conjunction with an oTPD conference held at Harvard University in fall 2005. The literature review of this field documents much work that is anecdotal, describing professional development…

This timely book describes the work of the School Improvement Network, a partnership in which university professors and graduate students collaborated with K-12 school leaders and teachers to design, implement, and assess schoolwide action research projects focused on long-term school improvement. Presenting a comprehensive model, this resource…

This study was conducted to develop a set of guidelines for making community occupational surveys and to examine the extent to which recent surveys conformed to these guidelines. A total of 42 guidelines were developed from literature pertaining to purposes, objectives, procedures, and techniques for planning, conducting, and reporting surveys. Of…

Check & Connect was created in a five year period from 1990 to 1995. The original manual, entitled "Keeping Kids in School: Using Check & Connect for Dropout Prevention" and written by David Evelo, Mary Sinclair, Christine Hurley, Sandra Christenson, and Martha Thurlow, was published in 1996 (ED398701). This newly revised Check…

Discusses barriers to effective contraception, such as informational, emotional, and imaginative factors, and what might be done to avoid unwanted pregnancies by using these factors in positive programs and behaviors. (Author/RK)

First-year teachers frequently find themselves in anxiety-laden situations. Probably because line and staff policy has not been made clear. To overcome this problem an effective program of teacher supervision must be planned. Three key factors for such a program are discussed. (Author/RK)

The purpose of this paper is to develop a career developmental model or framework, covering the school ages of five to 18. (Author)

Some educators, at crucial points in the educational program, ignore innovation and too easily conform to standard educational patterns. To overcome this inertia, dissemination of improved ideas is necessary. Training should include administrators and school principals. To develop quality programs in the schools, research and development should…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Studies comparing various models or processes of staff development are rare. While it is not possible to state conclusively that one inservice design is superior to another, we can put together the many pieces of research reviewed here to make some general recommendations about staff development…